1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a menu display apparatus for displaying a menu used to arbitrary select a desirable item, and a program storage medium. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a data processing apparatus capable of varying a menu display area and also a total menu item number displayed on a cabinet holder image in response to a user instruction, and is directed to a storage medium for storing thereinto a program of this data processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as menu screens for application software, there are typically two different menu formats. That is, in a hierarchical structure type menu format process modes are moved from upper-grade menus to lower-grade menus. In a list-shaped menu format, all of menus are simply arranged in a list shape irrespective of process modes. In the first-mentioned hierarchical structure type menu format, when an arbitrary menu icon is selectively designated under such a condition that icons corresponding to menu items of an upper-grade layer are displayed in a list form, the menu screen is switched from the menu screen of the upper-grade layer to the menu screen of the lower grade screen. In the list-mentioned list-shaped menu format, the menu screen is switched in the unit of a page while manipulating a preceding page key and/or a succeeding page key.
However, these conventional menu formats own the below-mentioned problems. That is, in the list-shaped menu format, the larger the item number of the menu is increased, the larger the total page number thereof is increased. As a result, the user must switch the pages many times. Also, in the hierarchical structure type menu format, under such a condition that the present menu screen is switched to the menu screen of the lower-grade layer, the menu item of the upper-grade layer corresponding thereto cannot be confirmed. Furthermore, when the present menu screen is moved from the lower-grade layer to the high-grade layer, the present menu screen must be once returned to the menu screen of the upper-grade layer. As previously described, the menu screens must be switched so as to display a desirable menu screen in any of these conventional menu formats. As a consequence, cumbersome operations are necessarily required, and also the user cannot readily grasp the entire menu structure.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and therefore, has an object to provide such a data processing apparatus capable of selecting a necessary item from a large number of items, while having such a feeling that a user actually uses a storage cabinet.
Furthermore, the present invention has another object to provide a data processing apparatus capable of freely increasing/decreasing a dimension of a menu display area and also a total number of menu items in response to an operation instruction issued to this menu display area in such a case that an arbitrary menu item is selected from a plurality of menu items.
In accordance with the data processing apparatus of the present invention, under such a condition that a cabinet image is displayed and this cabinet image is represented by such an image structure that a drawing unit is stored into a cabinet main body, this drawing unit is displayed as being drawn with respect to the cabinet main body in response to an operation instruction issued to this drawing unit. Also, identifiers of the respective items related to this drawing unit are indicated in a list form within this drawing unit. Then, a desirable item identifier is selectively designated from the respective item identifiers listed in this drawing unit.
As a consequence, the user can select the necessary item from a large number of items, while having such a feeling that the storage cabinet is actually used. Therefore, the item selection can be visually grasped, and a desirable item can be effectively selected.
Also, in accordance with the present invention, such an image is displayed which is represented by an image structure that a plurality of drawing units are stored into a storage unit, and when a drawing instruction is issued to a desirable drawing unit, a drawing amount of this desirable drawing unit is detected. Then, this drawing unit is displayed with such a display size defined in correspondence to this detected drawing amount. The respective items related to this desirable drawing unit are displayed within this desirable drawing unit by a display form in accordance with the display size of the desirable drawing unit.
As a consequence, in such a case that an arbitrary item is selected from a large number of items, while the display forms of the items classified by the plural drawing units are adjusted in a readable shape, the desirable item can be effectively selected.
Also, the dimension of the menu display area is changed in response to an operation instruction issued to this menu display area, and also the plural menu items whose total number is equal to the dimension of this menu display area are indicated within this menu display area. Then, a desirable item is selectively designated from the respective menu items displayed in this menu display area.
As a consequence, when an arbitrary menu item is selected from a plurality of menu items, the dimension of the menu display area and the total number of menu items can be freely increased/decreased in response to the operation instruction with respect to the menu display area. Therefore, the user can visually grasp the selected item and also can effectively select the desirable item.